


Deilannis

by Lakritzwolf



Category: Licanius Series - James Islington
Genre: Davian's Augur Training, Deilannis, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-24
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2019-02-05 14:37:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12796578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lakritzwolf/pseuds/Lakritzwolf
Summary: A few extra scenes between Davian and Malshash in Deilannis, during Davian’s Augur training.Commission for Red Dragon





	Deilannis

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Red Dragon (Red_Dragonn)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_Dragonn/gifts).



“Try again.”

Davian grunted in frustration. Malshash made this all sound so easy, but he felt like a fly on a window pane. He closed his eyes and focused again, trying to sense Malshash’s thoughts, trying to probe into his mind. But the truth was, he couldn’t imagine how you could get into someone’s mind. Sure, it was possible. But how?

“You’re not trying hard enough.” Malshash didn’t even sound reproachful, he sounded disappointed.  
“I am trying,” Davian said through gritted teeth.

The shapeshifter looked at him and crossed his arms. His displeasure seemed to permeate the very air around them. His current appearance didn’t help; he wore the body of a short, squat man, with a wrinkled forehead that merged with the bald dome of his head. Some strands of greasy hair clung to it like algae. He had a squint and a permanent sneer on his face. 

Davian closed his eyes again, trying to push the sneer out of his mind. Ban it somewhere where it couldn’t disturb him. He didn’t need this additional kind of distraction, he needed to reach what was _behind_ that face.

He focused on the techniques he had learned in Caladel, all those hours training his mind had to be good for something. That, together with everything he had read about Reading, had to yield a result at one point. He concentrated all his thoughts into one place, trying to send his mind where he wanted it most.

And then he felt it. There was a thought in his mind that was definitely not his own, a memory he knew wasn’t his, because he had never seen mountains like these. And he realized that he had found one of the memories Malshash hadn’t shielded from him. In his excitement, he lost the link again, but when he opened his eyes, the weasely little face was smiling at him.

Encouraged and emboldened, he tried again. The link, he could feel it, almost see it now. There it was again. The mountain, the cold wind biting his face. But he felt an urgency to be elsewhere. The knowledge that he needed to head on.

It was a gentle nudge, and the thought was lost. Davian opened his eyes again and saw that the smile on Malshash’s face was still there.

“I did it, right?” Davian didn’t even try to stop his grin. “I did it!”  
“Yes, you did.” The shapeshifter’s smile dimmed a bit. “But this was just the beginning. I encouraged you to find this memory. I actively opened my mind to you. It’s going to be a lot harder if you try to Read someone who is unsuspecting.”

The elation was diminished, but not gone. Davian nodded, and took a deep breath.

“Can we try again?”  
“In due time.” Malshash smiled again. “First, tell me what you saw. What you felt.”  
“I saw mountains,” Davian said. “There was a cold wind, and I knew I needed to be elsewhere. I had to go.”  
“Very good, that was what I wanted you to see.”

The smile had a quality that Davian didn’t like, and he was sure it had nothing to do with the shapeshifter’s current face.

“Right, what did I do wrong?”  
“Nothing. Not as such.” Malshash uncrossed his arms and stepped closer. “But I’m sure you read it in many books. That it can be hard to identify real memories.”

Davian groaned inwardly. Yes, he had read that plenty of times. People with enough practice and mental powers could create images and feelings, scenes so real it could fool anyone who tried to Read them.

“So that wasn’t a real memory?”  
“Who knows?” Malshash lifted his eyebrows. “And this is an important lesson, Davian. You have to see the connection. You have to feel if what you Read stands alone, or is connected to other memories, instances, anything else you might be able to read. Creating a false memory can throw anyone off the track who isn’t experienced enough, but it is not absolutely foolproof.”

Davian nodded and sighed.

“Now try again. See if you can find out if this memory is real or created.”

Davian tried again. This time he didn’t need as long to find Malshash’s mind, and he immediately found himself in the mountains again. He focused on the surroundings. Was there a memory of how he had gotten here? He must been climbing for a long time to get up here. He would have needed provisions. Did he have them? Where were they, and where had he bought them? But there was nothing.

After withdrawing, Davian opened his eyes again. “I couldn’t find any connections,” he said hesitantly. “My guess is it wasn’t real.”  
“And your guess is correct.”

Davian couldn’t help but grin.

“Remember, this is merely the first step.” Malshash patted his shoulder. “There are many factors that influence a successful Reading. Finding a thought is the easy part. Interpreting and verifying it is another thing entirely. And now let’s eat. I’m sure you’re hungry too.”

Surprised that he hadn’t noticed yet how hungry he was Davian nodded and, pondering the shapeshifter’s words in his mind, followed him inside.

* * *

They had discussed drawing essence, and the way Davian subconsciously used it to keep himself alive, at length now, but doing it consciously needed self-control and a keen sense of awareness. As everything to do with Augur powers it needed a lot of time to learn and master, but according to Malshash, time was the one thing they didn’t have.

The safest way for now was the fire, and even though he knew he was doing it, Davian found it hard to identify just how he did it, and how much he took.

“You’ve been doing this for most of your life,” Malshash said as Davian stared into the fire. “All you have to do is see it.”

Davian narrowed his eyes. He could feel something other than physical warmth emanate from the fire, and he could also draw from it. Pull it in like a fisherman’s rope, somehow. Or maybe inhale it like a fragrance. He tried to picture it several ways, but then suddenly everything went cool.

“Davian,” Malshash said.

Davian opened his eyes. The fire had gone out.

“I did it again!” Davian was ready to throw a tantrum. “This is impossible! Why can’t I feel this?”  
“You do feel it,” the shapeshifter replied. “But you are so used to it that you can’t make yourself aware. It’s like not being able to see your own nose.”  
Davian slowly looked up at him. “What?”  
“Well, you don’t see your own nose, do you? Try it.”

Squinting and closing one eye after the other a few times, Davian frowned and crossed his arms.

“Now you see your nose,” Malshash said. “Don’t you?”  
“I do, but I fail to see the connection.”  
“You know it’s there. It will vanish again from your view in a moment. It’s the same with drawing Essence. Your mind knows it’s there but it doesn’t see the point of reminding you of it.”  
“I still don’t see-”  
“Don’t focus on what you can see with your eyes, Davian,” Malshash interrupted him. “Focus on what you know is there. And now light the fire again, lad.”

Davian knelt down in front of the fireplace with a sigh. There were a few glowing embers left, and with a bit of kindling and careful encouragement, he got the fire going again. For the third time this morning.

“Now, again.” Malshash crossed his long legs at the ankles.

He was tall and graceful this morning, his face almost serence, the stark opposite to the ugly little gnome he had been the other day, and he was by far easier to look at. Davian wondered briefly how it would feel to wake up with another face every morning, and then he wondered what Malshash truly looked like. He knew better than to ask, though.

“You’re not focusing.”  
“I know.” Davian sighed. “I’m exhausted.”  
“You doubtlessly are,” Malshash said, but he didn’t sound very accommodating. “Try again.”

Davian didn’t close his eyes this time and watched the fire. 

“Focus on what’s there, not what you see,” Malshash encouraged him.

Focus on what he knew was there, not on what his eyes told him was there. Davian’s eyes unfocused as he looked into the fire, not watching the fire but just… looking into the direction of the fire. Trying to feel the connection to the fire that Malshash said was there.

It was so faint it almost escaped his notice, but then he could see it, like a small tendril of smoke, a thread so fine it was almost invisible even if you knew it was there. He focused on that little tendril and felt the connection, just as he had felt the connection with Malshash’s mind the other day.

 _Careful_ , he reminded himself. Don’t draw too much.

He felt the warmth creep into his hand and arm and simultaneously watched the fire flicker as if it had burned up all the wood already. There was plenty though, and Davian now kept an eye on the flame as he drew the Essence from the fire. He tried adjusting the stream, draw less, draw a bit more, and he could see the fire respond, dimming when he drew more, flickering back to life when he drew less.

“Very good,” he could hear the shapeshifter say. “You’re getting the hang of this.”

Feeling the thrill of accomplishment, Davian did the next thing without thinking properly. There was just the thought that he should attempt pouring the Essence back into the fire, because he wanted to see if he could.  
The flame burst into life and almost exploded out of the fireplace. Davian yelped and tried to get away, but in trying to get onto his feet he got tangled in his own legs and landed flat on his backside again. Malshash jumped out of his chair with a shout, so fast that the chair toppled over, and he quickly dragged Davian away from the blazing fire.

Within moments the fire had burned down to its normal size, but Davian took a bit longer to calm down.

“I would rather you consult me before you do something like that again.” Malshash shook his head.  
“But I just wanted to pour the Essence back in!”  
“Yes, and you did so quite successfully,” Malshash said drily.

Davian sighed and shook his head. “I was trying to see if I could…”  
“Treat it like water, maybe?” Malshash smiled. “Pour it into a cup and back into the bucket?”  
“I guess so,” Davian replied sourly.  
“It doesn’t work that way.”  
“I noticed.”

Davian gingerly patted his face. It felt tender, as if he had gotten too much sun, and his eyebrows felt a bit crisp.

“Maybe in the future you stick to what I tell you to do and leave the experiments for later,” Malshash said as he helped Davian onto his feet again. “Your eyebrows will thank you for it.”

A snarky reply was on Davian’s tongue, but then he shook his head. He probably deserved that one.

* * *

After all the hours Davian had spent in the great library digging through more books than he cared to count, he still couldn’t get his head around the manipulation of time. It was just something that tied knots into his brain.He also discussed the matter at length with his teacher, without being any wiser.

“You’re not the only one,” Malshash said. “Time is a very complex matter.”  
“But the Augurs could manipulate it in several ways,” Davian replied slowly. “I just can’t see how.”  
“Years of training, lad” his teacher said. “And the ability to manipulate time wasn’t very widespread.”  
“But Seeing,” Davian said and toyed with the apple core on his plate. “Isn’t Seeing a type of time manipulation?”  
“Not as such,” Malshash said. “Seeing is more like… if you look at time like a river, then you can dip a cup into the flow and look at what you caught in there. With time manipulation, you can make the river flow faster or slower. But only for a short amount of time, and only a very small area.”  
“But I can’t make it flow backwards.”  
“No.” Malshash shook his head. “Something as powerful as the Jha’vett can serve as… as a vessel that can take you back, against the current. But you cannot make the river itself reverse its flow.”

Davian stared at his plate and nodded. “I kind of understand that allegory. But no matter how much I read about it, I couldn’t even begin to grasp how to actually do it.”  
“As I said, it is very complex, and very few Augur have ever truly mastered that ability. For you, for now, being able to slow time for short moments has to suffice.”  
“Easier said than done,” Davian grumbled.

Even though he had read more than one book on the topic, watching Malshash do it still seemed more a trick you’d find at a travelling fair than an ancient power. He spent another whole evening with Malshash in the library, going over various passages in books, but having them explained now by someone who had actually done what was written on those pages made things a tiny bit clearer.

So far he had only used kan to manipulate Essence, now he had to use kan as some sort of shield. A shield against time. It had been easier to grasp that concept once he had thought of it as stepping out of the river, not trying to stem its flow, so this was what he tried. Wrapping kan around him like a cloak made waterproof with grease, he tried to imagine the water, the river of time, couldn’t touch him. It didn't seem to work at first. Davian tried to come up with other pictures in his mind, to focus his mind and to manipulate the kan in different ways, but nothing yielded any result.

Malshash kept walking back and forth, and Davian tried to get kan to do what he knew it could.

It was imperceptible at first, but then he could suddenly feel the kan solidify around him. He carefully tightened the kan into the shield he had tried to imagine, the one that would stand between him and the flow of time. Malshash was walking decidedly slower now, and here he had promised he would keep the pace. In an agonizingly slow movement Malshash turned his head to look at him, and an equally slowly a smile spread on the thin, withered lips in the face of the old man whose form he was wearing today.

Davian carefully dropped his shield of kan and his breath exploded with a huff. It felt like a rush of air, as if someone had thrown open a window behind him, and he could see Malshash move at normal speed again.

“That’s quite an achievement,” Malshash said with a smile. “Now you need to practice getting into that space, and then you’re ready to try and manipulate items while you’re in there.”

Davian nodded. He had achieved something he was sure had been out of reach earlier, and even if it was only a tiny step, it was the first, most important one.

Whatever it was that awaited him once he was back in his own time, now at least he was a bit better prepared to face and overcome it.


End file.
